Oda Nobunaga sat on the horse, tapping his thigh with the folded paper fan in his hand.
The envoy rushed in from outside, fell to the ground and kowtowed.
"In the main hall, all the troops from Dongye Mountain Village have been dispatched."
Oda Nobunaga's pupils shrank and she looked up at the sun. Noon had not yet arrived. She was so angry that she stood up, smashed the paper fan in her hand on the ground, cursed and paced back and forth in the formation.
"What is Fanxiu doing! Doesn't she know how to fight?
Ujie Naomoto is also a veteran! How could she be confused with the kid!
These two profit-minded bastards!"
Oda Nobunaga was very happy at this moment. Fortunately, he did not place bets on these main war factions. They were too impatient and eager to go down the mountain to grab credit, which had already violated the taboo of military strategists.
Fighting is a physical job. On an extremely tense battlefield, just one or two hours of fighting is enough to exhaust one's body. If one only has to hold on with one breath, if the breath is exhausted, the battle will be lost.
Therefore, in general wars, reserve forces are slowly added to replace the exhausted troops at the front, forming a virtuous circle so that they can last longer.
The Oda family's reserve force is obviously more resilient than the Shiba family's reserve force. The Oda army can attack slowly, exhaust the Shiba army's reserve force little by little, and then go down the mountain in one go for a general attack.
However, Hirate Hanhide was arrogant and eager to achieve success. He wanted to use Oda's elite to forcefully crush Maeda's main formation, which was in his interest, so he forced Ujiie Naomoto to attack with him.
The Oda army launched in advance, and even if they won in the end, the losses would be relatively large. A tragic victory was nothing more than a grab for credit within the main war faction.
The Shiba Army is not a weak force. If Oda's main force on the Higashiyama Mountains slowly adds fuel and consumes the morale strength of the Shiba Army, Oda Nobunaga's subsequent trump card will be more powerful.
But someone got confused and launched a general attack in advance. It seemed like a thunderous blow, but in fact it disrupted Oda Nobunaga's rhythm of controlling the battlefield.
Of course Oda Nobunaga was angry. She didn't know the specific situation on the Higashino Mountains, but she could guess it.
To launch a general attack in advance, it must be led by Hirate Fanhide, a young samurai of the sect. Ujiie Naomoto is old and mature, and has experienced many battles, so he cannot do such a stupid thing.
Although it disrupted her rhythm, the battlefield was changing rapidly and anything could happen. Oda Nobunaga was angry for a while, then calmed down, and she ordered.
"Ask Kinomoto's Sakuma Nobumori and Kawajiri Hidetaka to send troops and stand by behind Iwasaki Mountain. Wait for my order to turn out of the streets of the North Country and join the battlefield at any time."
Beiguo Street is in the Yuwu Lake section, with Fox Tomb in the north and Muzhongben in the south. The two entrances to the north and south sandwich the battlefield in the middle.
Due to the special terrain of Yuwu Lake, this middle section forms a small plain area on the east bank, sandwiched among the mountains. It can also be regarded as a relatively spacious section of the valley road.
When the Shiba army entered the Yuwu battlefield, they entered directly from the north, while the south had to go around behind Iwasaki Mountain, which happened to be blocked by the mountain.
After arranging the reinforcements at Iwasaki Mountain, Oda Nobunaga could at any time let the reinforcements join the battlefield and push back the front according to the battlefield conditions.
The two sides at the front had equal military strength. The Shiba army did not know that Oda Nobunaga had secretly brought reinforcements, so they would definitely fight with all their strength.
According to the original rhythm, as long as the Oda army in Higashinoyama can delay the attack until the afternoon or even dusk.
The exhausted Shiba army was bound to be directly overwhelmed by Oda's new force joining the battlefield, but this incident had already happened to Hirate Fanhide.
Oda Nobunaga can only do the next best thing now, mobilize reinforcements in advance, and be ready to join the battlefield at any time to support the front line.
She had a feeling that Si Bo Jun had a back-up plan, and Si Bo Yiyin was not that easy to deal with.
Although the Oda army still has the upper hand on the frontal battlefield, the situation can change at any time. With all the main forces on Higashinoyama descending and Oda's reserves almost empty, Oda Nobunaga must be cautious.
The reinforcements prepared by Oda Nobunaga became the new reserve force to wipe out the reckless Higashinoyama Oda army.
At this time, Oda Nobunaga seemed calm, but the anger in his heart was getting more and more intense.
Even if she doesn't join forces with Genpei, after this war, she will definitely clean up the internal affairs and make those main war factions who fail to succeed more than fail pay the price.
Oda Nobunaga was originally sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai, but now that he was stimulated by the Higashinoyama incident, he could no longer sit still.
she shouted.
"Where's Mori Ranmaru! Call her over!"
Soon, Mori Ranmaru walked into the main formation quickly and bowed deeply to Oda Nobunaga.
Oda Nobunaga didn't waste any words, pointed at her and asked.
"How's the fight going at Yamashita?"
Mori Ranmaru said respectfully.
"Lord Takigawa Ichimasu commanded it well, and Sanada's army was repulsed after seven consecutive charges. Corpses littered the fields, making it difficult to advance even an inch."
Oda Nobunaga scoffed.
"Nonsense, how can my defense line of Oiwa Mountain be comparable to those of the Kitanomi people on both sides of the Snake and Rat Mountains?
You don’t need to say good things for Takigawa Kazumasushi, go and tell her to keep a close eye on the Sanada army, and if you find any signs of retreat from the other side, take advantage of the situation and cover up and kill them."
"Hi!"
After Mori Ranmaru bowed, he quickly went to the front of the mountain to give the order.
Oda Nobunaga said to another Hime warrior beside him.
"Send an envoy to the south and tell Hideyoshi Hashiba that she should not just watch the show, but also take action. Attack the flanks of the Sanada army, and cooperate with Takigawa Kazumasu to eliminate the Sanada army in Shiyue."
Higashinoyama started in advance, and Oda Nobunaga could only speed up accordingly.
Originally, Oda Nobunaga planned to use the defense line of Oiwa Mountain to slowly bleed Sanada's army, and then let Hashiba Hideyoshi flank and annihilate Sanada's entire army in one fell swoop.
But now, things have to change.
The main battlefield is speeding up and the tempo is getting faster. Oda Nobunaga must speed up and defeat the Sanada Army, and cannot let the Sanada Army affect his investment in the main battlefield.
After the Sanada Army broke through Shidake, they were frustrated in front of Mount Oiwa, and their morale was declining. As long as Hashiba Hideyoshi launched an attack from the flank, the Sanada Army would have to retreat.
Now is the spring and summer flood season, and the area around the Iiura River is muddy. It is easy for Sanada's army to come, but it is inconvenient to leave. They will inevitably end up at the base of the mountain.
With Takigawa Ichimasu at the back and Hashiba Hideyoshi on the side, the two armies pursued and attacked from a pinch. This base mountain should be the place where Sanada's army was destroyed.
———
At the foot of Oiwa Mountain, Sanada Nobushige no longer had the high spirits he had before, with a livid face as he looked at the line of defense in front of him that seemed to be impossible to break through.
When she broke through Jiyue, she thought that the Oda family was nothing more than this, but now, it can be considered that they have suffered a lot.
In front of her were the main members of the Oda family, the core elite, the mother-in-laws who protected Oda Nobunaga, the sidemen, the bannermen, and the small family.
The reserve force here not only has a high proportion of warrior warriors, but is also equipped with a large number of iron cannons, accounting for more than 50%.
Completely different from the slack-jawed Kita-Omi people in front of Shiyue, Oda Nobunaga was here, and the Oda army protecting her did not dare to slack off and dug trenches for a month.
Along the mountain, in front of the defense line was a two-meter-deep trench and a plum blossom-shaped horse trap. Neither infantry nor cavalry could establish an effective charge.
After crossing the trench, in front of us is an earthen rampart made of stones and mud, separated by fences made of bamboo and wood.
Ashigaru set up a spear behind the earthen barrier, making it impossible for people to cross the earthen barrier, and it was also inconvenient to cut down the fence with a sword.
Under the protection of the earthen fence, the iron cannon Ashigaru calmly loaded the gunpowder and shot at the charging Sanada people in three rounds.
It is impossible to rush up to such a copper and iron wall for a while. Even if you are lucky enough to capture one or two small sections of defense, it will not be able to stop Warrior Ji's counterattack.
The most elite Hime warriors of the Oda family were guarding behind the formation. If there was a gap in any direction, they would attack and push back the exhausted Sanada people who had finally charged forward.
Takigawa Kazumasu also became ruthless. She took her mother-in-law soldiers to guard the front and personally supervised the battle. Sanada's army had charged seven times, but except for leaving corpses on the ground, they could not make any breakthrough.
Behind Sanada Nobushige, several Hime warriors were kneeling. The leader, Mochizuki Yukitada, kowtowed to the ground and howled.
"My Lord, we can't charge like this anymore. Please leave some seeds for the Sanada people. If we continue to charge like this, all the sisters will die!"
Sanada Nobushige turned around and kicked her, knocking her to the ground.
"What the hell, you were the one who begged me to be the vanguard, and now it's you who say you can't handle it! Don't tell me the number of casualties, I just want Big Rock Mountain!"
Mochizuki Yukitada gritted his teeth and pulled out his knife.
"It was my arrogance that caused the death of so many sisters. I will commit hara-kiri and apologize. I just ask the Lord to leave a way for the sisters to survive."
Sanada Nobushige kicked the sword out of Mochizuki Yukitada's hand again, and slapped her twice, making her eyes flash with stars. Then he pointed at her and said to the people around her.
"Watch me, don't allow this guy to be a fool!
Do you have the guts to commit seppuku, but don’t have the guts to keep charging? Mochizuki Yukitada, do you know what it means to climb Oiwa Mountain?
We can get two hundred people from Sibo, and from now on we will be the servants of the Sibo family, no longer wild dogs in the mountains!
Do you think those people at the Kanto Palace think highly of us? Do you know what they say about us behind our backs? A bunch of wild bastards who come out to beg for food in the mountains!
Two hundred Spo compiled!
We can get two hundred hard-core crops passed down from mother to daughter, and we can have two hundred sisters speak for us in Sibo's family, for our three tribes in the wild, and for our Jiaxin Mountain area!
Do you know how rare this opportunity is? Do you know that if we stop now, all the sisters who died before will die in vain!"
Mochizuki Yukitada hugged his head and cried, then grabbed Sanada Nobunaga's thigh and shouted.
"Lord, give me another chance. I will personally lead people to rush forward. If I can't rush forward, I won't come back!"
Sanada Nobushige kicked her away and grunted.
"A reckless woman who throws away useless things will seek death!
Liu Niang, what should we do now?"
When Sanada Nobushige asked, everyone's eyes focused on Umino Riichi.
Umino Riichi said calmly.
"We withdraw."
Sanada Nobushige's eyes widened in disbelief. She didn't dare to kick Umino Riichi as she did with Mochizuki Yukitada, so she just repeated.
"withdraw?"
Umino Li nodded and said.
"We can't kill him.
Although Mount Oiwa is just a small hill, the Oda family dug trenches and built fences here to maximize the power of the iron cannon.
If we can't kill them, we have no choice but to withdraw."
Sanada Nobushige sighed. It was not that she didn't cherish the lives of her sisters. Although she was unwilling to do so, since Umino Riichi had no other choice, she should withdraw.
Looking at the pitiful Mochizuki Yukitada who had been dealt with by him, Sanada Nobushige smiled bitterly.
"Liu Niang had already said she was going to withdraw, so why did she charge seven times in a row and lose so many sisters here?"
Umino Riichi said coldly.
"We can only withdraw after seven consecutive defeats."
Sanada Nobushige was stunned.
"Could it be..."
Umino Riichi said coldly.
“We are taking big steps backward now in order to take big steps forward in the future.
If we only charge once or twice and find that nothing can be done, we will withdraw immediately. The defenders of Dayanshan will definitely be in a tight formation and will not dare to pursue us.
But now, we have failed seven times in a row and our morale has been dampened. Even warriors like Mochizuki Yukitada cannot withstand the pressure. After several collapses, what will the defenders of Dayan Mountain think?"
Sanada Nobushige was thoughtful, and at this moment, there was a commotion outside.
Several people looked back and saw Miyoshi Chinghai walking over quickly.
Sanada Nobunari asked in astonishment.
"Master Qinghai, why are you here?"
Miyoshi Kiyomi went to Kanto and had already made up her mind to never return to Japan. In the past two years, she had spent time with the Sanada people and had a good impression of these relatively simple-minded mountain warriors.
This time, the Sanada army came out in full force, and the logistical supply of 10,000 soldiers was not an easy task.
The Sanada clan, a group of reckless women, did not have the ability to control this. As a last resort, the sisters Miyoshi Seikai and Miyoshi Isan had no choice but to bite the bullet and return to Koki.
But they also know that their identities are sensitive, and they are only responsible for the logistics support of the Sanada Army. They keep a low profile and hide behind the scenes.
At this time, Sanada Nobushige suddenly became nervous when he saw Miyoshi Kiyomi coming. Could it be that there was something wrong with his rear?
As expected, Sanhao Qinghai said solemnly.
"My Lord, Hideyoshi Hashiba, who is retreating to the southern front, has made a move. Her reserve team is heading north, trying to outflank our flanks."
Sanada Nobushige was startled and turned back to look at Umino Riichi.
Umino Li nodded and said.
"That's it, we crossed the Iiura River and broke through the base mountain. It was easy when we came, but not easy when we came back.
The muddy area around Mount Iiura is not conducive to retreat. If the battle goes against us and we fail to evacuate in time, we are in danger of being attacked and annihilated by the Hashiba Army and the Oiwayama garrison from both sides.
And the place on the mountain is the cemetery chosen by the Oda family for us."
Sanada Nobushige asked.
"You know the road ahead is rough, but you still want me to retreat?"
Umino Ri looked at Sanada Nobushige with a determined look and said.
"You don't need me to repeat those impassioned speeches you just made to Mochizuki Yukitada, right?
We were unable to attack Dayan Mountain, and we were attacked from two sides. We retreated to Shiyue Mountain, surrounded by enemies on all sides, and surrounded ourselves with sworn enemies.
So, do you want to give up?"
Umino Toshi's eyes were fixed on Sanada Nobushige, and everyone's eyes were also fixed on Sanada Nobushige.
Sanada Nobunari raised his head and looked in the direction of the fox grave where Yoshigan Shiba was, remembering his ugly appearance in front of Takeda Nobunari's spirit that day in Yantian City.
I was so weak and incompetent at that time. I could only curl up in a ball and cry and beg, watching the man I loved being humiliated by the three women in turn.
From then on, Sanada Nobushige gave himself the Yuanfu name, Nobushige.
She will always remember that day, remembering her shame and shrinking in front of Takeda Nobunari.
Give up? Give up what? Give up your admiration for Shiba Yigen? Give up the expectations of the Sanada sisters? Let yourself become that helpless loser again?
Sanada Nobushige's eyes seemed to be burning with flames, and she said solemnly.
"I, Nobushige Sanada, will never give up!"
Umino nodded and said softly.
"If we retreat, the defenders of Oiwa Mountain will come to pursue us, and Hideyoshi Hashiba will attack us from a flank.
There is no retreat behind us, we must either live with glory and victory, or die with the whole army destroyed.
We will fight them decisively at Jianyue and eliminate the pursuers of Dayan Mountain. If we come back, there are not enough people. How can they defend the mountain?"
Miyoshi Qinghai's eyes flashed with a sharp light and he murmured to himself.
"Break the cauldron and fight to the bitter end."
Umino Li nodded and said.
"I know that the journey to break through Jiyue, attack Dayan Mountain, retreat from Jiyue, eliminate the pursuers, and then capture Dayan Mountain will be very difficult and exhausting. This is an impossible task.
But I believe in you, Sanada Nobushige, my lord, I believe in the Sanada people, I believe in everyone, we will definitely be able to do it!"
Sanada Nobunaga looked up to the sky and screamed, then roared loudly.